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President’s Message

Abhh, the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer...well for many of us.
‘There may be some exceptions, but every potter I know seems busiest
during the summer months. Be it preparations for and participation
in summer markets or working on weather-sensitive projects or just
getting the most out of the fine weather, free time seems limited.

I did, however, make time to get to the Satellite Gallery on
Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver to take in the exhibition
High Fire Culture- Locating Leach/Hamada in West Coast Studio
Pottery. Coming from and receiving my ceramic education on the
east coast, although somewhat familiar with Leach and Hamada,
I only knew about their North American influence in the context
of the U.S. It was a real education and treat to find out about the
connections of the nine B.C. residents featured in the exhibition
to the Leach/Hamada tradition—then to find out the connections,
direct and indirect, these individuals have had to the PGBC. This got
me thinking in two directions. First, in the kind of lineage we have
in our teachers. Jiansheng Li, visiting professor from Jingderzhen,
China at NSCAD (1997 1999), once said to me and my classmates,
that it is like a kind of inheritence we have in the information we
receive from our teachers. Similar to the way we inherit certain
characteristics from our parents, our work, our pots, inherit certain
characteristics from what we have learnt from our teachers. And
those of us who teach pass that onto the next generation. All of those
who studied under Leach/Hamada and went on to teach others

here in B.C., continue that kind of lineage. If one looks around the
Gallery of BC Ceramics you will still see that strong influence in
much of the work. I now also have a greater understanding of the
prevalence of reduction firing here in B.C.

The second direction of thought was membership in groups
and what that means. My understanding of the Leach/Hamada
philosophy is that it was the coming together to learn and share,
which is, of course, the underlying philosophy of a guild model.
‘These potters would come together in groups, whether formally or
not, to share ideas, make pots and fire kilns. Out of that came the
PGBC and, for much of its 57 years, it has continued to hold dear
the fundamentals of sharing and teaching. Although such things as
government regulations, costs, time and distance make it difficult,
we like to think we still can share ideas and educate. I know I am
talking to the converted and the committed since, if you are reading
this in July/August, you are currently a member. This is hoping that
each of you continues to remain members, renew your membership
in September and even convince someone else—maker, collector or
enthusiast—to join the guild.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the summer and we look forward
to hearing from everyone in September for membership renewal.

—Denise Jeffrey

Gallery & Exhibition News By Laura Carey

Staff Changes

In the month of June we bid ‘bon voyage’
to our teammate Janine, who will spend the
summer in France.

We have gained a wonderful new staff
member in the meantime. Our new teammate
Melissa is a former student of Langara and
a current Emily Carr undergrad, studying
ceramics. Her enthusiasm for ceramics along
with her knowledge of glazes and techniques
is an asset to the Gallery. Melissa is here to
serve you on Saturday and Sunday each week.

July Exhibition: Junichi Tanaka
A Moment of Peace
July 4 to 29; Opening July 4, 5 to 7 p.m.

I was in Japan in February 2013. It was
almost two years since I had visited there. I
was a little worried about how people in Japan
had adapted and recovered from the disaster,
shaken there on March 11, 2011, since I
had briefly shared the cruel experience with
them, including strong emotions such as fear,
sorrow, tension and restlessness.

However, under the sunny, cold Tokyo
sky people looked relaxed and moved much
slower than when the earthquake and tsunami
struck Japan. I even saw many smiling faces

around that made me feel relieved. I felt they
deserved to enjoy the peace after two years’
effort and struggles for the recovery from
the disaster. At the same time, I sensed that
people knew their journey for the recovery
was not finished yet. They were enjoying a
transient peace for tomorrow.

Over the last ten years or so, through
various comments from buyers of wholesale
shows and from people coming to my booth
at retail shows, I start to think vaguely of the
meanings of me doing pottery, the role of me
in a society as a potter. And these journeys
to Japan, totally different impression from
the two journeys, make me clear a little for
the purpose of me doing pottery. That is “a
moment of peace.”

Continued on Page 4

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter « July/August 2043